Painting A Ghost
by Kitkatbellascarlet95
Summary: 18 year old Bella just wanted to experience and learn about Southern Culture, moving in with a family who are living in a restored plantation house. Edward is a ghost who died in the house in a terrible fire in 1920. What Cason discovers about the house, its inhabitants and the south could forever change her ideas about life, death, and ultimately, love.
1. Chapter 1

**Preface:**

**May 18, 1920**

**I heard my sister's screams from down the hall. I ran to her, trying to see through the engulfing smoke. I didn't know where my mother was; my father was already downstairs trying to get out of the house with my youngest sister, 4 month old Alisa. I didn't know what started the fire, only that smoke had awoken us from our slumber. My beautiful Eliza had returned home from my bed earlier that evening, never knowing that our first night and most wonderful moment together would be our last. I realized as I reached my sister that my treasures: my paintings, drawings, and manuscripts were still hidden away** **in my room.**

**Pushing my grief away I picked up my crying little sister Anna, 8, and carried her downstairs. I managed to escape the flaming structure safely, placing her on the ground next to my father and younger brother Charles. I could see my mother, holding baby Alisa, trying to help her to breath better after being inside the smoky building.**

**I gave them a needy glance before measuring that I had just enough time to get my things from the house before it tumbled down. I knew, without the weight of my sister in my arms I would be able to escape more easily. So I ran back in. "Edward!** **NO!" I heard my father yell after me, trying to stop me, but I was too fast. I ran up the stairs to my room. I ripped up the boards in my special hiding spot, and grabbed all my treasures. Suddenly a piece of the ceiling fell on me, knocking my treasures back into the safety of the closet. I never made it out of that house.**

Chapter 1

August 4, 2010

"Bella!" "Yes Mother?" "Get down here! Hurry up! You don't want to be late to the subway and miss your train!" She called up. I grabbed my stuff and started downstairs. "Isabella!" Dude, seriously? "I'm coming!" I yelled down with frustration. I was going to Savannah, Georgia to attend College in the hopes of gaining an art degree as well as a deeper understanding and more knowledgeable view of the Deep South. I, a New Yorker, have always had a strange fascination with the south; the cultural aspect of it is something to be appreciated in my view. To really get this experience I'm going to live with a family in their old plantation house instead of a dorm so that I can fully grasp this great place. I grabbed the last of my things and handed them to the taxi driver to put in the trunk. I turned to say goodbye to my family, and groaned. My quirky mother, sniffling and dabbing at her eyes, my younger siblings: Sarah, 9; David, 11; and Ellie, 12. I see the face of my aging, brown-gray haired, crinkly-eyed, father. He smiled at me and I could feel the courage it took him to be the strong one. Always being strong because of my over-sensitive, over-emotional mother. I hugged them all hard, blocking tears and after getting a lecture from my mother about when to call her and what to do in a dire situation, I got in the car.

The drive through the city is hard. I watch as all the historic landmarks that make me proud to call New York home disappear from view. All the places where I went with my parents in the days before my younger siblings, when it was just Mom and Dad, me and my older brother Danny, he's 24 now. I, being a prospectus 18 year old, silently cried at the memories of my 5-year-old self. When the driver pulled up to the station I paid him and got out. After grabbing my stuff out of the trunk I blew a kiss to the amazing city I call home.

This is just another adventure, I tell myself, only one with fresh air, instead of city pollutants. I walked down the stairs to the station platform. I found my train after waiting for a few minutes and made my way on, finding a seat towards the back of the car. I watched the people on the train as they went about their typical day. Reading newspapers, listening to iPods, texting, talking on the phone. It was just the regular hustle and bustle of city life. The south would be different, almost frozen in time. It would be much different.

I walked off the plane and stretched. The flight was long and tiring, and I was ready to sleep. I walked through the airport after claiming my luggage. I made note of the signs with southern lingo, like the "Hey Y'all" sign I saw on an advertisement for South Carolina beaches. I saw palm trees and sunny days on all the posters, but most of all, I saw green. Different indeed.

I continued through the airport in search of a sign of a taxi service or something. Then I see my name on a poster board being held up by a handsome older man. He is standing with two teenagers and a woman who looks about his age. The man is tall and muscular, but not too brawny, with deep brown hair containing bits of gray, in a very sexy kind of way. He has blue eyes, I see, as I get closer to him, that pierce you right down to your…toes. He's got a kind face, a good jaw line with a beautiful mouth. The beginnings of crow's feet at his eyes, which just point out, further the twinkle in them.

The woman next to him is beautiful as well. With a good figure, a strong disposition, and a killer smile. She has short reddish brown hair and looks increasingly excited to see me.

The teenage boy is handsome with blond hair and a face that matches his dad's but has very apparent maternal traits as well. The teenage girl, looking slightly intrigued, even though she's obviously trying to look careless, has long dark hair with red tips, and hazel eyes, like her mother. Her dark lashes inconspicuously hide her gaze from me…almost.

As I reach them I feel a new sense of excitement that my time here will be great and I will hopefully love this family. "Isabella?" asks the woman. "Bella, yes" I answer with a smile. The woman's husband looks at me curiously, as if he were taking in my name, one letter at a time. I swear he didn't look so interested until he stared at me a second ago.

"We are the Hausers, I'm Ellen, and this is my husband Reed, my son Alex, and my daughter Raven." She informed me. Her accent was thick, but not hick, it was almost comforting in it's drawl and it made her sound warm. "We are just so happy that you are here Isabella-I mean Bella." "Well, I'm very excited to be here." I looked at them all and Reed and Raven were the only two who looked any more excited than was necessary.

They're really nice, the Hausers. Mrs. Hauser grabs my hand after telling Mr. Hauser to get my stuff and leads me back into the parking lot to a nice very new looking Mercedes SUV. I climb in the back with Alex and Raven and get myself settled as best I can. We pull out and off we go, on my first ride through the South.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

**May 19, 1920**

**I looked around the room. I was alone, the smoke was gone but there was an unusual amount of sunlight shining through. I blinked and saw that the house was only half there. There were huge pieces of the walls, floors, and ceilings gone. I could see the entire view of the front yard from the open gap in the wall of my room, actually, there was no wall there anymore. I looked behind me to see the rest of the house was in a similar state.**

**I noticed that my family is no longer there. Then I run to the closet and try to pick up my lost treasures that were slightly singed. My fingers go through them. I start to panic. What's going on? What's happening? I find a cracked mirror in the corner still propped up and try to look into it. I can't see my reflection. I feel tears stinging at my eyes because I can't remember what happened.**

**The wind blows through the house making it creak and literally sway in the breeze. A picture flutters down to the floor a few feet from me. I gently pick it up and see that it is a picture of Eliza. The feelings of our last night together rush back in my brain and I remember the feel of her skin, her smell, and her need for me to hold her. I remember everything that I loved about her.**

**Then the heat comes back, I feel like something is burning. I remembered the papers with the singed edges in the closet. I remembered my father yelling for me, my younger siblings crying and coughing. I remembered the immense heat and the board from the ceiling. I remember the fire. The night. What am I supposed to do? What am I? I feel a sense of dread as I realize the truth. "A…ghost…"**

**3 years later…**

**The house was being rebuilt. Big muscled men were moving and hammering pieces together, recreating the house from the bottom up. I could barely take it. The only reason why I let them carry on was because they kept all the left over treasures of my family safe and sound until the building was complete and then they put them back in the same exact places, including my own treasures. I found a few months ago that if I tried really hard I could move stuff a few inches at least. So one day I used a lot of effort and was finally able to get my treasures back into there hiding spot in the closet covered up.**

**25 years later…**

**I watched as the couple walked about the house. They were just some runaway teens. I watched as they made love for the first time. I tried to avert my eyes but they of course were passionate. They didn't think anyone was around. Little did they know that they were literally ripping out my heart as they united their own. After the 2nd week of them being there I couldn't take it anymore. They left two days later. Guess I'm a good haunter.**

**20 years later…**

**They were a nice looking family. They really appreciated the house. Then they tried to sell my mother's jewelry. That family was gone 3 hours later.**

**17 years later…**

**Two women moved in together. They kissed. They were gone. Hello, I died in 1920, am I supposed to be okay with this? I'm just kidding; I'm making jokes because they are both actually very funny and entertaining. They know I'm here and they like me. They try to talk to me every Halloween.**

**2 years later…**

**I don't know what happened to the funny lesbians. They just went out one day for a picnic and never came back. I try to sense them but they aren't here anymore.**

**3 years later…**

**An older woman moved in for a year before she went to a retirement home. We were great friends; she gave me a book of poems about different places in the world. I spent the day after she left getting the book upstairs to my closet into the hiding place.**

**1 year later…**

**A man and his wife moved in. They are very respectful of the house. The woman even gets the original furniture of my family cleaned every month. They have made a few changes but what made me fall in love with them was when they gave birth to a baby girl and used my sister Alisa's crib, just fixing it up a bit to be more comfortable and safer for the baby. The woman's name was Ellen; the man's name was Reed.**

**The girl they named Raven. Raven was pretty but she was more of a rebel than anything else. She was a very good child; always a joy to be around, I often watched out for her and the Hauser's knew it. I played with Raven on many occasions. But when she started middle school she changed. She could still see me for some reason but she was different still. Her parents are slightly conservative and did not believe her notions of being gay. She was very angry at them most of the time after that. She even started bringing her friends over and kissed them. When I asked her why, she told me she was trying to figure out who she was. I never understood that. **

**When she turned 16, she started going to school for only half the day and spending the rest of the day at home with a tutor. When Raven was 2 Alex was born. Alex was a troubled child but just as much of a joy as Raven, the good thing about him, was that he stayed good. He tried many forbidden things , like every boy his age, but he would decide to never continue with them after he did.**

**Alex liked to talk to me until he turned 12. He decided I was an imaginary friend he needed to let go of. I will tell you it's not fun when someone tells you that you don't exist.**

**Ellen and Reed knew I was there but they never talked to me. They preferred to jokingly blame stuff on me. They called me Henry because I never told Raven my name. I didn't want her to get curious and look me up and then feel bad for me. That would be the worst thing in the world.**

**Present**

**I saw Ellen and Reed pull up in their Mercedes and a girl got out with Raven and Alex. She was beautiful and she reminded me instantly of Eliza. But she was nothing like Eliza. Eliza was like an angel, a pure sweet angel, this girl looked like a butterfly with a broken wing. Her expression was intense but vulnerable, yet I would bet she doesn't let that slip out of too many people's mouths. She had a perfect amount of luggage for someone who would be staying for a while. She looked very practical . I wonder what her name is…?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

I looked out of the back seat window as we made our way up the dirt driveway. Big Oak trees followed us down the drive on both sides. The whole place was beautiful and I hadn't even seen the house yet. "The grounds are gorgeous" I said with my thick New York accent. Raven imitated the way I said gorgeous. "Thank you Bella, these Oaks have been here for a hundred years or more." She spoke with pride. "so what's the history of the place?" I asked Ellen. "Oh, we'll get to that, it's quite a great story. Now, keep in mind that the house itself is not the full original, this house has been here for about a hundred years. It was rebuilt in 1923 so it's still fairly old" "Why was it rebuilt?" I asked. "Oh the original burned down in a mysterious fire. A teenage boy was the only one to die. We think his name was Henry". The name stuck out to me. The house was giving me a weird feeling, somehow I was sure the boy's name wasn't Henry. We pulled up to a big car circle in front of the house and I got out and grabbed my luggage. "Bella, you will be staying in that bedroom." She pointed to a window on the third floor of the House on the far end of the house. I could have sworn the curtain moved. Maybe I wasn't seeing it right, it was pretty far away. I followed them inside the house. The big front door opened to a big expanse of space creating four rooms separated by a staircase directly ahead. The living room was on the left with a modern elegant look tied together with a few older pieces. The study was to the right and back. The parlor was directly to my right. To the left and back was the Dining room. The kitchen was on its own floor as there were stairs leading off the living room hallway down to it. Raven and Alex had already disappeared up stairs. Reed grabbed my stuff and started up the stairs. Ellen headed off to the Kitchen. I could hear her kindly giving someone some orders, maybe the kitchen staff. I didn't know they had that much money. I watched Reed's back as we ascended further and further up into the house. He really was an attractive man, I could see the appeal that his wife had seen. "I hope you like it here." Reed told me. "I believe I will. Everything that I have seen so far has been gorgeous…" I trail off as I see the way that Reed is looking at me over his shoulder. Did he read into that? I hope not, I don't want him to get the wrong idea. What wrong idea? I do think he's hot, so what would be wrong about him knowing that? Very many things, I thought, my heart sinking.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

I followed Reed down a long hallway of bedroom doors. It was obvious which ones were the kids rooms, because there was a door completely plastered with Keep Out signs and other random things, and another door had a few school awards taped to it. I could tell whose was who's. Reed stopped in front of a plain white door. He opened the door for me and as I stepped in I was in awe. The room was white, with a fluffy white comforter on the low bed. There were lace white curtains on the floor length windows, there was a small writing desk stained white with cracked wood, an elegant yet rustic look. There were paintings of oaked lanes, Victorian beach scenes, and English hunting scenes. There was a quilt over an antique chair, and a wardrobe closet. There was also a fairly new looking closet as well. There was a bathroom connected to the room, and the bathroom was just as beautifully rustic as the room. Even the wood in the room was different, a sanded beach colored wood with its authentic age showing through. "I thought Ellen said the house was rebuilt. Why does this wood look so old?" I asked Reed. "This room was the only thing besides the stairs that gave proof to there ever being a second floor to this house. It was the only part left standing. The builders thought they owed the house some heroic salvage, so they were able to use the original floorboards for this room." He smiled. I smiled back. "That's so…is romantic the right word to use?" He cleared his throat. "I guess so." I realized I was fawning over him and decided to tone it down. I quickly found a way to give him an excuse to leave. "Well, I'm going to unpack now." He didn't leave. "I'm going to email my family and stuff" Still there. "Reed?" "yes?" "Is there something you need?" "I just wanted to make sure you were aware of everything going on here." I was confused. "What's going on here?" I asked anxiously. "If you hear something go bumb in the night, don't be afraid. I'll be just down the hall if you need anything." He said as he left. He may be hot, but that was just creepy.

I began to unpack and get settled in. I put my laptop on top of the writing desk and my journals and papers in the drawers. I then went into the bathroom to put my toiletries up. When I came back out I began to address my clothing situation. I hung all my nice clothes in the new closet and then walked over to the wardrobe. It was a stunning piece, it looked older than the house, it had intricate vine and tree branch carvings on it. There was a small latch handle on the front doors. I gently pulled it open. It made a creaking sound, and it took some effort to pry it open without jerking it. I looked closely, trying to see if there was anything in it, since it obviously hadn't been opened in a while. I could just barely see in the deepness of the closet a pile of something against the back wall. I got down on my knees and gently reached in and felt for whatever it was. I felt paper and pulled it out. There were a few yellowed letters still in their envelopes, with My Beloved written on the front, and one with My Darling written on it with a lipstick seal on the back. Under the letters were some papers. The papers were covered in elegant cursive script. There were titles on some and some had ribbon bindings tying them together. I saw in the corner of my eye a few scrolled up papers leaning against the back of the closet. I picked them up and carefully unrolled one. It was a painting. It was stunning. A large field of tall grass and flowers at the foot of blue mountains. There was a figure of a girl standing under a tree in a long dress with a parasol point down on the ground under her hand. I carefully folded it back up and eagerly unfolded the next one. Even more beautiful, it was an old road of oaks, with a stable boy walking some horses down the path. The horses were so detailed, beautifully rendered, the strong leg muscles showing and their coats gleaming. Then the next painting was even better, each one more skilled than the last. The piece was a family portrait. A father with a handle bar mustache and a mother with a long neck collar. The father had a proud look, but looking closely I could see how the artist had captured a slight twinge to his mouth, revealing a secret smile. The mother had a serious expression but her eyes had a happy and gentle crinkle to them. She was striking even in her middle age. She was obviously beautiful in her younger years. Her hair had loose tendrils suggesting messy curls that had never behaved since her youth. She had a glow capturing her timeless youth across her cheeks. Then there were children pictured. There were two young men and two small girls. The youngest, a baby girl with brown curls sat on her mother's lap. At her side, a stunning child with long red brown hair and big Blue eyes stood. She was dressed in a silk laced dress with a big bow in her hair. Standing behind his mother, a boy who looked about 15 or 16 was dressed like his father. He had wild curly hair that he had attempted to tame with product, but ended up just creating a poof at the back of his head with all the pushed back hair that wouldn't slick down. He was handsome in the face though, and his curly hair would have suited him had he been allowed to have it. The painting was unfinished though. There was an older, slightly taller boy standing behind his father, but where the painting was so detailed at the man and his youngest son, it faded off into a white blank background. The only clue that there was indeed a person there at all was the sketch of his hand on his father's shoulder and a faint outline of his silhouette. Whoever the artist was, loved the family pictured dearly, because of the loving detail put into it, which made its unfinished corner so puzzling. Why would all that work go into something and then never be finished? There was a date and a scribbled signature on the backs of the first two pieces. The first piece was dated July 17th 1918, the second September 25th, 1919, and the signatures on both were the same. The signature was almost illegible. It was either an E or a C to begin with and the last name was impossible to make out. The third piece had simply Unfinished written on it. Like the artist never intended to finish it. I was about to open the letters when Ellen came on the intercom in the room and said dinner was ready on the porch. Porch? I quickly put the papers back in the closet and latched the door. I walked over to the intercom and replied to her with "I'm coming." I realized that they probably expected me to freshen up and so I quickly changed my shirt to something nicer, and brushed my hair, which had gotten messed up from traveling. I put my shoes back on and walked downstairs. I assumed that Ellen had meant the front porch, though there was no table there and I walked out the door. I saw the same front as before, and no one in sight. I stood confused for a second, but from around the house came voices, and so I followed them. I discovered the porch wrapped around the house. When I got to the back of the house I almost gasped at how beautiful it was. The house was on a marsh, and the house was up on a hill overlooking a huge yard which reached the marsh a few yards away. There were a few old oaks in the yard, with swings hanging on one or two of them. The whole yard couldn't be seen from the porch but the view was still breathtaking. The back part of the porch was triple the length across with a table in between the doors and the back step. The porch was screened in on the backside. I walked in the side screen door. Everyone was relaxed looking as they set the table. Raven and Alex were barefoot. I stood awkwardly to the side until Ellen saw me. "Oh, Bella, sugar come sit over here by Raven." I smiled politely and then sat where I was instructed. Raven didn't look quite as excited as her mother at the prospect of sitting next to me but she smiled politely as well. Alex looked like he'd calmed down from his excitement at my coming as well but still made an effort. "So Bella, what do you think of the South?" He smiled. "Yes, let's treat her like she's from a different planet just cuz' she's from the North Lex." Raven snipped. Alex looked down. "No, its ok, that's the whole point of this isn't it? For me to actually observe, and learn about the south, and what better way than self analyzing it with others?" I realized how geeky I sounded. I turned red. Raven looked uncomfortable. Then she giggled. "Yeah…, that." "Well, to answer your question Alex, I think the South is beautiful. There's a lot of sun and fresh air, and big houses. Lot's of plant life. That's what I've seen and determined so far." Ellen sat down at the head of the table just as I was finishing speaking. She smiled. I looked at the food in the containers in front of me. "So, are we having a traditional Southern home cooked meal tonight?" I asked. "I should hope so, since Ellen made sure the kitchen staff knew you were from New York last night, I'm sure Miss Suzie, our cook, has every dish planned out to be as authenticated as possible for the duration of your stay with us. Her first words after Ellen told her 'bout you was, 'You mean you're bringin' a girl in ta this house that ain't never had her chicken fried?'" Reed laughed as he sat at the opposite end from Ellen. He had put on a new shirt, one which showed the muscles in his arms, and his natural southern tan. I blushed. "Yes, Reed darling, you're right. Miss Suzie was quite excited about getting' to cook for you Bella dear." She told me. "Okay, we are having fried chicken, green bean casserole, mash potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and biscuits. Then for dessert we're having pee-can pie and peach cobbler with ice cream." I was amazed at how much food there was. We passed our plates to each other, each person serving up the dish closest to them. When I got my ready plate, there was enough food on it for three people in my house. I picked up my biscuit but I realized that they were staring at me. They were all holding hands, Ellen and Raven reaching out their free hands to me. I put the biscuit down and took their hands. Reed began to speak. "Let us bow our heads. Dear Lord, thank you for this day, this food before us, and the company among us. Thank you for the sunshine and the good weather, thank you for the love among our family and friends. Thank you for the hands that prepared the food, and let it nourish us to be in thy service, in Christ Jesus name I pray, A-men." "'Amen.' 'Amen' 'Amen'…'Amen.'" I shifted uncomfortably. I opened my eyes as we dropped hands. I waited this time. Reed smirked and then said, "Dig in!" They pray…they eat loads of carb-filled food…they go barefoot for dinner…interesting to say the least.


End file.
